A/N thanks to everyone who read the last chapter. I would also like to thank those who have been with this challenge since the beginning, only two days left till I go back to school and then these updates will be fewer. Sorry guys but it's the truth. Also I have a poll up on my profile for whether or not to do the quincy arc. Please check it out, also please review it motivates me like crazy to write this story. Thanks especially to Xx13deathsxX, guest and InsertBadPunHere for reviewing the previous chapter. Please enjoy this latest addition!
As soon as Cain ripped the mask off of the Vasto Lorde an explosive amount of reiatsu blasted up and through the ceiling of the forest of the menos. The explosive reiatsu coalesced into Cazador's now even more human frame; there was no change in his size of basic form at all, although his outward appearance changed drastically. His bone armor had turned into pale skin, and the majority of his mask was gone, the remnants leaving a band around his head, like a sweatband or circlet, leaving the rest of his face clear of anything distinctive, his arms and legs had become pale in the absence of the blackened bone armor retaining only their slender nature, although the blue flame pattern on his shoulders remained, his zanpakuto materialized as well, forming into a set of wicked looking claws that were curved at the end, increasing their ripping power. They were perfect for the savage hunter that Cazador was on the inside, no matter how stoic he was on the outside. The only thing he wore however, were the bottoms of the Shinigami shihakusho that he had worn previously, which was a relief to Cain as he had no desire to see just how much an Arrancar shared of a Shinigami's anatomy.
When the lights and the dust cleared Cazador was kneeling towards Cain, head bowed in a manner of submission. This was kind of awkward for Cain, as he was currently sprawled out on his back completely exhausted from his fight with the newly formed Arrancar.
"So, why aren't you killing me?" Cain asked the new Arrancar, the transformation had apparently healed all of his wounds leaving him fresh and ready to battle. The new Arrancar looked affronted at the suggestion, as if the idea hadn't even crossed his mind. "You very well could you know, I'm about tapped out after that fight." Although this was technically not true about his reiryoku reserves, Cain was physically exhausted from the high speed exchanges and two cero fired so soon after each other. Not to mention that he really had to save what remained of his reiryoku for the storming of Las Noches.
"why would I do such a thing my Lord?" Cazador inquired, his voice gaining a bit more expression since he was not as focused as during the fight. "You beat me in combat, in Hueco Mundo the weak serve the strong that is the rule."
"But I didn't technically beat you; I just got the drop on you at that last minute." Cain wondered why this newly formed Arrancar was acting subservient, he already had one person do so in a joking manner, but the sincerity of the way that the Arrancar was doing so was off putting.
"I could tell that you did not fight me at your full power…you have two zanpakuto yet you only released one of them, that alone allowed us to fight at an equal level…therefore if you had fought me at your full strength I would have lost." The Arrancar was uncomfortable speaking this much, he was a man of few words and explanations were uncomfortable for him.
"so by virtue of that you are going to follow me? What kind of logic is that?" Cain sat up, carefully catching his breath, "you don't know the first thing about me." The group that had been watching them cautiously closed the distance between them, the intense fighting having died down.
"Boss, who is that?" crow was surprisingly the first one to speak up asking the question for just about everyone in the area.
"Oh, him? He's just the Vasto lorde that inhabited this area; I turned him into an Arrancar as an experiment to see whether or not the Hogyoku was really needed to form an Arrancar, as it happens, it is not needed for the average Arrancar, just the ones Aizen has." Cain stood up brushing himself off and slowly beginning to gather reishi consciously from the environment. It was an imperfect technique as well as hampered by the fact that he was trying to accomplish something that naturally happened at a very slow rate, but he had begun to identify the phenomenon between watching Crow do the same thing countless numbers of times. And the reishi in the forest of the menos was so thick that it was very easy for him to do something similar.
"What do you mean, is he going with us now!? He just tried to kill you!" Ichigo yelled at him, but he was waved down by Crow.
"If the boss says it's ok, then let's trust him, besides don't tell me that you've never become friends with somebody after fighting them." the hollow behind him coughed, and spoke out.
"I would never try to be friends with my Lord. It is against the code." The Arrancar was still kneeling, wary of the new people, "Who are you to address my lord in such a manner? You should show some respect." He glared at Crow tension rising between the two of them.
"Please tell me you two can get along. Otherwise I might just have to take you both down a peg." Cain had had enough of their comedic routine, that bit with Nel had kind of tested his patience enough. "Seriously I want to reserve the bulk of my Reiryoku for the espada."
"Sure thing boss." Crow replied
"Of course my liege." Responded Cazador, the two of them glaring at each other as soon as Cain turned his back, it was a difference in extremes, Crow had a laid back attitude and Cazador had an uptight one, if the two didn't clash Cain might have been worried.
They all walked towards the exit, except for Ashido who decided to stay in the forest of menos to try and thin the numbers of potential Adjuchas by killing as many Gillian as he could, although the tunnel collapsing due to the fierce battle between Cain and Cazador before he could enter it may have also been a factor. it was probably a mix of the two reasons.
As they rose through the tunnel from the forest of menos they realized that the exit let them out right at the walls of Las Noches, a convenient exit really, almost as if it were fate or something, although the idea of that was simply ludicrous to Cain.
Ichigo blasted a hole in the wall of Las Noches using his shikai version of the Getsuga Tensho, and they all filed into the cavern created, leaving Nel and her two companions behind them as they would be in danger. After an incident that involved Nel wanting to follow Ichigo because of their supposed status as traitors since the appearance of Runuganga. Because of this all of them were walking down a dark passage, renji tried to make a light using Shakkahō but failed epically, his light barely made a dim glow, but Cain wasn't about to waste his reiryoku trying to make a new one.
They arrived in a large hall separating into five different passageways, the reiatsu from the corridors was palpable as they entered, Ichigo wanted them to all go together but Rukia and renji convinced him to trust in their power. After that was decided Renji told them all to put their hands on top of his as he explained about a Shinigami ritual. Cain, Crow and Cazador all decided to keep out of it, as it seemed like something that was going to be just among the five friends with no room for outsiders. That was until Ichigo demanded that they put their hands on the pile as well. It was just very Ichigo-ish of him. They did so just as renji began his chant.
"Now, we head towards the battlefield! Believe and our blades will not break! Believe and our hearts will not bend! Though the roads we take may be different our iron hearts will beat as one! Swear, that even if the earth is torn asunder, we will live and return here once again!" they all took off, their hands pressing down and then raising; they all took off in different directions. Crow followed chad in his route; the two of them being similar in power at the moment, and because Cain had told him to stay out of combat for a while and gather more reishi. Cazador followed Cain, who in turn was following Ichigo down the path of the strongest reiatsu. Cain could feel that the path that Ichigo was on would lead him into stronger and stronger opponents, and there was a much larger chance of him running into opponents that would allow him to both aid the Shinigami and provide him with no small amount of amusement.
Unfortunately for him, Nel had tagged along for the ride…he was not too happy about that, however he was interested in her broken mask…it seemed to be leaking reiryoku like a sieve full of water. It also seemed to be an injury of some sort and not natural at all. it was an interesting phenomenon that he wanted to observe and see if he could fix if possible, the amount of leaking reiryoku was massive.
The four of them kept running until Ichigo and Cain sensed a reiatsu following them, "Whoever is hiding there come out!" he yelled to the pursuer.
The man dropped from the ceiling, acting weird and doing a weird dance causing all of them to sweatdrop at the stupidity of the routine. Cain allowed Ichigo and the man to fight it out for a while, letting Ichigo take the lead and further conserving his own reiryoku, however he could see through the man's routine for the most part he was obviously hiding a good part of his power and intelligence behind the act, just the fact that his Hierro was enough to block Ichigo's blade was proof of that much. The man called himself the one hundred and third Arrancar, a Privaron Espada, one whose skills are on par with the current Espada's. he was throwing around Ichigo like he was nothing, provoking him into using his bankai, and had thrown him into a wall.
"My lord, shouldn't you step in?" a question from Cazador, curious as to what Cain's plan was.
"Whirl Giralda!" the Arrancar and Privaron espada had released his sword, achieving his release; it looked like two bird like creatures erupted from his legs. At this point Cain decided to step in. as Ichigo was in a crater on the floor.
He jumped down, Kikōō drawn from its sheath as he slashed down at the laughing man. "When are you going to learn Ichigo, sometimes it is better to just exterminate a nuiscance than let it grow into a big problem later." He stood before Ichigo, sword in a ready position, "Sorry, but I am going to steal your fight, save your strength for Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. Rise from the ashes Kikōō!"
Flames sprung from Cain's blade, creating wings of fire behind him and not touching his tails or burning them, the sword's guard turned into upturned wings and the blade glowed with an inner fire. Cain's reiatsu soared as even the Privaron espada was impressed.
"And what is your name Niño?" asked the Arrancar
"I apologize as you honestly seem like a good guy." Cain sighed to himself, as he flashed into and through the tempestuous winds that swirled around the Arrancar and slashed though the Arrancar's Hierro cutting off the man's legs at the knee, in addition once Kikōō had made contact with the man its ability activated and burned the flesh along the injuries along with blasting the Arrancar into the opposite side of the room.
"I just don't have the reiryoku to waste on you, and neither does Ichigo, I had to end it fast. Forgive me." He deactivated his shikai, returning the flames to his pool of reiryoku. "Ichigo, let's go, don't you have a princess to save?"